The Writers’ Co-op

Today, we’re releasing the last episode of the last season of the show. After running three businesses for the bulk of a year, Wudan will focus her attention on her editorial business and new fact-checking agency, Factual. The podcast, the resources and everything else that The Writers' Co-op has created in the last five years will still live online and the Slack community will remain active. TWC was always intended to be an audiobook handbook for freelancers and will remain as such.The final episode is a Q&A that answers some lingering questions we received from listeners. Wudan discusses: tangible steps to take to break into different streams of writing, how she landed her first client, creating a budget that accounts for the ups and downs of freelancing, staying ahead of deadlines and how she plans out her week.Thank you all for listening to and supporting the show!

It's been 10 years since Wudan started freelancing, and she's learned a lot of lessons over the past decade. Now, she's running three businesses simultaneously. Most of us will probably just run one business at a time, but for those who want to think expansively and start another one, Wudan gives you a peek behind that curtain.In this episode, Jillian Anthony interviews Wudan. Jillian is a writer and editor with 13 years of experience in journalism and media. She is the former lead editor of Time Out New York, and her writing has been published in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Pop-Up magazine, Contently, and many other publications. As a freelancer, she works with major tech, travel, and media companies in many content and marketing roles; is a regular public speaker at events like SXSW; and helps writers find their footing in the freelance world. She authors the newsletter Cruel Summer Book Club, about making space for your art and yourself, and hosts a podcast of the same name.Wudan reflects more on what she's learned over her career and dives into what it’s like to juggle three businesses. Resources: Wudan's viral story on late feesNYC freelance workers' rights When Science Reporting Takes an Emotional Toll by Wudan YanBurnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia NagoskiFollow Jillian Anthony on LinkedIn

Over the past year, we've heard from many listeners who are curious about scaling up their freelance businesses to an agency. Agencies can allow freelancers to take on bigger projects that they might not have the capacity to do alone. They can also attract more well-known clients, because those big-namers want to work business-to-company, rather than business-to-individual with a freelancer. But what does it actually take to go from solo freelancer to agency owner?In this episode, Wudan talks with Caity Cronkhite. Caity transformed her solo freelance technical writing business into a multi-million dollar writing agency. She is the founder and CEO of Good Words LLC, a technical writing and documentation consulting firm that’s on a mission to rid the world of bad docs.Caity and Wudan dive into how to know when it's time to scale to an agency, the benefits of building an agency incrementally and mindset shifts required to go from solopreneur to agency owner. Resources: Follow Caity on Linkedin and visit Good Words LLCDid you know TWC just launched a brand new course? Check out our latest addition to the TWC Academy on Teachable: THE FRESH PAINT COURSE. This is an asynchronous adaptation of the popular Fresh Paint Clinic, which teaches freelancers to build a business website that will attract the clients you want. Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancersCheck out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

Starting a new publication or production network has long been a big dream for many freelance journalists. Some have become disenfranchised with the status quo of how publications are run and are contemplating striking out on their own. Others see an opportunity to fill a niche that's been overlooked. But what does it take to bring a new media company from idea to execution?In this episode, Wudan talks with Amy Westervelt. Amy is an award-winning investigative journalist working in print and audio who covers accountability and the climate crisis. She’s been working as a freelancer for over 20 years, and has written for NPR, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more. In 2017, she founded a podcast production company, Critical Frequency, which is home to multiple award-winning podcasts, including Drilled and Damages. Amy and Wudan dive into the nitty-gritty of funding a new network and setting up a team. Resources: Follow Amy on X @amywestervelt and on LinkedInCritical Frequency websiteListen to Drilled, Damages, This Land and Unfinished: Short CreekJoin the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancersTWC just launched a brand new course! Check out our latest addition to the TWC Academy on Teachable: THE FRESH PAINT COURSE. The course is an asynchronous adaptation of the popular Fresh Paint Clinic, which teaches freelancers to build a business website that will attract the clients you want. Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

If you've been on LinkedIn lately, you might have noticed bios that include a “fractional” C-level job. Traditional C-suite jobs can be all-consuming, require deep expertise, leadership and ownership. For many freelancers, we probably don’t imagine holding a C-suite position, besides being the CEO of our own businesses. So — what’s the hype over these fractional C-level positions? In this episode, Wudan talks with Matthew Fenton. Matthew is the founder of Three Deuce Branding, a consultancy with a simple mission: to help good people build great brands. Since 1997, his company has helped hundreds of clients — including Fidelity Investments, Wrigley, and Valvoline — to achieve "brand clarity" by better positioning, strategy, and messaging. Matthew has spent seven years in brand management.  For a year and a half, he's worked as a fractional CMO/CSO for Bob Rogers Travel. He's also the founder of the coaching business Winning Solo. Wudan and Matthew dive into the benefits of fractional roles, how to determine if a fractional role is right for you and what you can do to work your way up into a fractional position. Resources: Follow Matthew on LinkedIn and Winning Solo on XSubscribe to Matthew's newsletter, Soloist SundaysJoin the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancersCheck out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website